When sandbags are to be filled various challenges are faced. First, time is typically of the essence and the quicker the sandbags can be filled the more effectively they can be utilized. Also, commonly the number of individuals available to assist in filing the sandbags is limited, and in some circumstances a shortage of shovels may exist.
Furthermore, the traditional method of loading a shovel with sand and then placing the blade of the shovel into the opening of the bag and then tilting the shovel to slide the sand into the bag is both time intensive and requires two users to have any significant process efficiency. If the individuals attempt to speed up the process, the individual holding the bag is susceptible to injury from the blade of the shovel.
In at least one prior art device taught by Donald J. Rooker (shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,748, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) a sandbag filling device is disclosed which addresses many of these challenges. A chute is provided which tapers as a funnel from a larger inlet to a smaller outlet. An additional sandbag is filled with sand and deployed from the funnel as ballast. Legs are provided to support the funnel above ground.
One drawback of the sandbag filling device taught by Donald J. Rooker is that it still requires two individuals for effective operation. One individual throws sand into the funnel, such as with a shovel. A second individual holds the sandbag adjacent the spout and is responsible for redeploying fresh sandbags as sandbags are filled. While this Donald J. Rooker device can rapidly and effectively fill sandbags when two individuals are available, a need exists for a similarly effective device which can still be rapidly and successfully utilized when a single individual is filling sandbags alone, or when one of the two individuals is often detained with other activities such as loading sandbags into vehicles or deploying sandbags in a water intrusion preclusion location.